Each country has its own blacklist IMEI database and some of them even share them. A typical example of this is the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Puerto Rico.

If you are wondering why I didn’t include outstanding financial balance as a blacklist reason it’s because in this case, we consider this iPhone as blocked.

What happens to a blacklisted IMEI?

This means that you cannot use this Blacklisted IMEI iPhone inside the country that has been blacklisted with any mobile network unless it is cleaned (As long as the iPhone is not Blacklisted is considered to be CLEAN) The same applies to any other country if it shares this blacklist.

Thus, Blacklist databases prevent the use of any device whose IMEI is contained in them.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t stop the thief from selling a blacklisted iPhone to an unsuspecting buyer.

The problem gets even bigger when you think that most of us use online markets for our purchases (although there is a way to check any iPhone remotely)

So if there is no signal from the first time that you activated the used iPhone you bought or the issue came up a few days after the purchase, then this is a good indication that your iPhone has no clean IMEI.

One way to identify if an iPhone is blacklisted: No Service

But instead of rushing into a desperate and reckless decision, let’s take a look at the best ways to identify the problem and of course, how to unlock blacklisted iPhone.

IMEI Blacklist Check: How to identify if iPhone got blacklisted

It is extremely important to check any used device before you buy it and in the case of an iPhone, an IMEI Check service would have prevented you from this problematic purchase.

Of course, I presume you already have a blacklisted iPhone in your possession, but even now an IMEI Blacklist Check is vital before proceeding with IMEI Blacklist Removal or blacklisted IMEI iPhone Unlock.

This information is necessary to successfully unlock/unblacklist a blacklisted iPhone since the options shown below apply only to specific mobile networks for specific blacklist reasons.

How to fix a Blacklisted IMEI

At last, we are ready to fix a blacklisted iPhone, however, there are 2 different ways to deal with it. The one you will choose depends entirely on your situation. (as described by the IMEI Check Report)

Option 1: SIM unlock Blacklisted iPhone

As I explained to you, a Blacklisted iPhone cannot be used in the country where the IMEI was turned bad.

This service is called Premium IMEI Unlock (otherwise known as Premium Factory Unlock) and is the ideal choice for someone who bought a blacklisted iPhone but lives in a different country than the one that creates the issue.

But you should be very careful since this service is only available for specific networks.

Option 2: IMEI Blacklist Removal

Officially, an iPhone will be removed from the blacklist only in the case where the cause of Blacklisting is canceled. In almost all cases, the original owner is the only one who has this ability.

Also, this is the only way to unblacklist an iPhone free of charge

Unofficially, IMEI blacklist removal is possible with third-party services, but only for a handful of mobile networks.

However, you should be careful if the phone is also SIM locked in a network because that means it will be the only one you can use after a successful iPhone Unblacklist service.

Hey, I am Makis. I am a Chemical Engineer and as it’s natural, I was fascinated with iPhone technology since the release of the original iPhone. In 2013, I bought a used iPhone from an online market but it turned to be locked and I didn’t know what to do in order to use my SIM Card. Despite being a tech freak, I spent too much money and time trying out fake services and iOS exploits until I found UltraSnow.EU and managed to unlock my iPhone with success. Soon afterward I became part of the team in order to help people like me through Quora or here and right now iPhone Unlocking is my cup of tea!

63 comments

SarahJuly 8, 2019 - 10:54 am

I bought a used IPhone XS Max that is supposed to be unlocked but it has an activation lock and was reported lost/stolen after I purchased it from the person. Is there anything I can do? I have tried contacting them again with no luck. Thank you for your help.

I am afraid that your only option for now is to try and return this item to the seller.

If you made an online purchase and you used PayPal, dispute this transaction and get your money back (I am sure that other online payment methods have similar tools to request your money back).

If an iPhone is iCloud Locked and Blacklisted, then only the original owner can remove it. The only thing you can do, is to bypass the iCloud lock, and use this device for browsing the internet or play/use apps and games.

I have a LOST/STOLEN blacklisted iPhone 6, bought on E-bay, locked to T-Mobile USA.
I´m in Brazil. If I insert a CLARO or VIVO SIM it does read it but does not make calls or send SMS, neither 3G/4G.
I´m using it in Wifi for games and Apps.
Can this be unblacklisted so I can make calls on CLARO or VIVO?

If your iPhone is Network Unlocked, then you can use it with any network you want OUTSIDE from the country that it is Blacklisted. If you Unblacklist it, you will be able to use it with any network you want WORLDWIDE. You can check a solution to the following link: Unbar/Unblacklist Services

Hi, I have a new iPhone 8+. I bought from someone as second handed but still unopened.
I factory unlocked it and it was working very good until 1 week after that I had no signal.
I checked my iPhone and it’s in blacklist
I am living in the UK.
Can I use this iPhone in a different country or I need to unblacklist it first?

Hi. I have an iPhone 6s+
I bought second handed but the iPhone is blacklisted.
How can I open the iPhone Lock?
Please advise.
I am in Madagascar.
Is there any possibility to unblacklist online.
Please send link…

Hi. I paid 100 USD to iPhoneIMEI to unlock my blacklisted iPhone 6 and they claimed my iPhone was unlocked.
Only the last month I learned (when I went to India and tried Airtel SIM) that it is still locked.
iPhoneIMEI is claiming the unlock didn’t work because the iPhone was blacklisted.
I lost 100 bucks and have a voucher. Can I trust your service? I understand now that there are so many scammers out there to grab your money. Please advise.

I have purchased a used iPhone 7 plus in India and it is in the blacklist of united states and the iCloud is locked.
Is it possible to remove the iPhone from blacklist and use it with an Indian network without any problems?
Let me know so that I go for iPhone unlocking in that respected site and how much does it cost and how many days it takes to unlock?
iPhone 7 Plus Product Version: 10.3.3. Locked. Thank You.

Hi, I got an iPhone 7 from my friend who was in Australia with Vodafone Australia.
He sold it to me really cheap in India but now it’s not working.
His iPhone 7 was an insurance claim so he got a new iPhone 7 but it’s not working with me in India.
How can this be fixed?
I really don’t know much about what happened to my iPhone and I am willing to pay anything to get this iPhone to work.

Hi, I bought an iPhone 7 from someone online. I used it for a couple of days then the individual I bought it from called saying he lost it. Now it says no service cause the carrier blacklisted it as a lost iPhone.
I’m only using it for music and social media.
Is there any way to unblock it so I can use this iPhone in Europe?
The carrier is Rogers it is blacklisted in Canada.

Hi.
I got an iPhone 6 that I purchased about 3 months ago and it started beeping when I tried making calls but it got a signal and I can use 3G on it for internet access.
I have done some checks and found out it was blacklisted by t-mobile UK so, I went onto an eBay blacklisted remover and after a few weeks it happened to put my virgin SIM card in and it rang so I also tried to call out and it was spot on.
It worked for about a week but then stopped working again and I wrote back to the eBay seller who said they would look into it as it’s been removed from the blacklist and a couple months later still nothing.
So, I said I would rather have my refund which they gave me but can you let me know if I can still get this iPhone 6 working and where did I go wrong as I thought that I shouldn’t go back to the same network which blacklisted it.
T-mobile, Virgin, and EE are one and the same here in the UK but the eBayer who removed the blacklist said I could use whatever Wireless Network I want and it wouldn’t get blacklisted again.
So, my question is this:
Can I still get this iPhone 6 I’m using now as an iPod (as it won’t ring in or out but does have a signal and can FaceTime over wifi) unblacklisted or unbarred for the UK?
cheers

My brother in India got an iPhone from our relative who lives in the US.
That relative had an iPhone 6s and he also had an insurance and bought from AT&T.
The person sold the iPhone very cheap to my brother and then made an insurance claim as lost.
My brother unlocked the iPhone through a mobile shop and is using that phone now in India.
If he sends that iPhone to me back in the US can I use that phone without any complication?
They might track the iPhone since it was blocked here before.

Hi, I bought an iPhone 5s in the USA.
I’m from Canada. I bought a straight talk iPhone and they told me it was unlocked.
The phone was working fine until it just won’t let me in. It says SIM not supported.
I called Total Wireless and apparently, the iPhone is not activated and it will not work in Canada because their plans don’t do roaming.
The contract is supposed to be for 12 months and the carrier has blocked unlocking.
Am I still able to unlock it with this iPhone Unlock program?
Please help me.
Thanks

Hi, Jose!
A Premium IMEI Unlock Service will SIM Unlock your blacklisted AT&T iPhone and as long as your iPhone was not blacklisted in Europe, you will have no problems in using your iPhone in Europe and everywhere else in the world (except the country it was blacklisted and maybe a few more neighboring countries)
Take care Jose!

I have a blacklisted AT&T iPhone 6 Plus which is blacklisted/Lost. I’m currently not in the USA but I want to get it unlocked to use it overseas. How can I do that? What services can provide fast and secure iPhone unlocking for me?

Hi, Kisma!
A Premium IMEI Unlock Service from iPhoneUnlock.Zone will SIM Unlock your iPhone without issues!
The iPhone will remain blacklisted at the USA, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico after the unlock due to the blacklisted/LOST state!
If you are not planning on living or visiting these countries, you will have no problems!
Take care Kisma!

Hello, I have iPhone 6s locked to T-mobile USA. I tried many unlocking services and all of them came back saying that they could not unlock my iPhone. The money also was refunded. I am currently in India. I want my iPhone to work in India with the local carriers. What can I do? Please help me.

Hi, Gaurang!
We made an extensive research about T-Mobile USA (you can see it on our Carrier Unlock Comparison Pages)
Anyway, if you manage to SIM Unlock your Blacklisted iPhone, it will be 100% usable and since you live in India, you will have no problems in using it in your country!
You can also read this T-Mobile USA Blacklisted iPhone Unlock article for more info.
Take care Gaurang! Your iPhone will be unlocked, at last!

Hello,
someone sold me an iPhone 6s+ and later I checked and the phone was blacklisted in the USA by Sprint due to unpaid bills. I did the background check for the premium IMEI unlock service and it says that you can use any sim card with it, but it also mentions that any blacklisted phone will not work in the country it is blacklisted in, so does that mean that even if I get it unlocked I won’t be able to use it with another carrier’s sim card here in the us?

Hi, Leslie!
Since your iPhone is Blacklisted for pending contract bills, you can SIM Unlock it inside the USA and worldwide, with all GSM Mobile Networks but you won’t be able to use Sprint ever again unless the pending contract bills are paid!
Take care Leslie!

Hi, Chris.
You can find out which Carrier locked and blacklisted the iPhone and ALL other hidden issues it might have with an IMEI Check Service from UnlockSpector!
You will almost instantly get an IMEI Check Report containing everything you need to know in order to unlock the iPhone and more!
Keep in mind that the guys there will tell you if the iPhone can be unlocked and suggest you the best iPhone Unlocking services!
Take care Chris and come back to tell me how it went!

Hi, Ram!
Is your iPhone blacklisted by AT&T or Telus?
You really need to figure out which Carrier blacklisted and locked your iPhone 6s!Get an IMEI Check Service!
They will reveal everything about your iPhone and offer you the right IMEI Unlock Service!
Because the iPhone is blacklisted, you will need a Premium IMEI Unlock Service!
The good news is that since you live in India you will have no problems in using your iPhone in your country and all other countries in the world (except USA, Canada, Mexico & Puerto Rico)
I hope, I’ve helped!
Take care Ram and come back to tell me how it went!

You can SIM unlock your blacklisted iPhone 5s.
Your iPhone 5s, after the Network Unlock, will remain blacklisted in Canada (and maybe the USA, Mexico and Puerto Rico) but you will have no problems to use it in India and everywhere else in the world with any GSM Mobile network!
Unfortunately, there is no way to unblacklist an iPhone (unless the original owner report that he/she found it, pay his/her pending contract bills or authorities decide that the iPhone was not involved in illegal activities)
But again, in your case, you won’t have any problems using it!
I hope, I’ve helped! Come back to tell me how it went!
Take care Nav!

Hello. I bought a Verizon iPhone 7 plus. It was ok when I bought it but 2 days later while working with T-Mobile, just stopped working because the guy reported the iPhone as lost or stolen. It is already unlocked.
What can I do to use it with T-Mobile?
If I sell it, is it gonna work in other Countries?
Thanks

Hi, Carlos!
This is a common iPhone Scam!
The guy who sold you the iPhone will get a new one from his insurance plan and yours is now blacklisted inside the country you are living!
If you are living in the USA your iPhone is also blacklisted in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico!
The iPhone will remain blacklisted forever from now on unless the dude who scammed you, report that he found the iPhone and there aren’t services that can unblacklist a Verizon iPhone!
Verizon is not SIM locking the iPhones (as far as I know) so you are right!
Even if it was the only thing a Premium IMEI Unlock Service would do would be to SIM Unlock the iPhone!Unfortunately, the only thing left for you to do is to sell this iPhone 7 Plus via an online market to a country it isn’t blacklisted (basically the whole world except USA, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico)
I’m so sorry you were scammed!
I hope, I’ve helped!
Take care!

Hi, Muni!
Unlock.Ultrasnow.EU is not an iPhone Unlock provider but we help people to unlock their iPhone safe & 100% guaranteed or they money back!
iPhoneUnlock.Zone is the best iPhone Unlock provider I can think of. Try contacting them.
Take care and come back to tell me how it went!

Hi, Ajay!
Yeap… your iPhone 5s will be unlocked to any GSM Network worldwide and it will remain blacklisted only to the UK and maybe 1-2 more European countries!
So yes, your iPhone 5s will be fully unlocked to India and almost the whole world (except the UK) ;-)!
The best iPhone Unlock Service that works 100% guaranteed (or you get all your money back if it fails) is with iPhoneUnlock.Zone
Check them out!
I hope, I’ve helped!
Take care!

Hello, Michelle!
Don’t lose all hope.
The best way to be sure about your iPhone is an iPhone IMEI Check Service!
They will not only tell you everything about your iPhone (you already know that it blacklisted by 3 Network Ireland but maybe there is more to it)
But they will also suggest how to unlock your iPhone.
You will only need the iPhone’s IMEI number (find the iPhone’s IMEI number)
The good news is that if they don’t manage to find an unlocking solution for your problem or your iPhone can’t be unlocked, you will get All your money back, even those spent for the IMEI Check Service (I think the IMEI Check costs around 9 to 10 US dollars)
I really believe that your iPhone can be unlocked but because it is blacklisted you might not be able to use it in Ireland but this doesn’t mean you have to throw it away!
You can always sell it on online stores like eBay, Amazon or Craigslist because your iPhone will not be blacklisted to a foreign country and iPhone 5s is the second most popular iPhone model + unlocked second-hand iPhones are sold $100 to $200 more expensive than the locked ones
Feel free to ask me anything else and also to tell me how your blacklisted iPhone 5s Unlocking went!
Take care!

Hey, help me out.
I bought an iPhone 6 through third party and it was an unlocked phone from UK o2. Or so, I thought…
I generated my iPhone id on this phone but I was unable to unlock icloud on this phone.
But I am also not able to use my sim card.
What is the solution? I missed that guy’s phone number, so how can I find the iPhone’s owner?

Hi!
The only way to bypass the iCloud Lock is to find the original owner and as I see you know that!
If you can’t find his phone number or email all you need is reading this updated iCloud Unlock Guide 2018

iPhone 6+ locked to iCloud of the previous owner.
Blacklisted, reported as stolen/lost
I am scammed twice now… 1st is when I bought the iPhone… 2nd is paying online to unlock it on iCloud and they said it’s blacklisted so my money was gone… Can this iCloud Locked iPhone get repaired??? if yes, can we do a deal? Since I’m afraid to get scammed again, I would like the Activation Lock Repair 1st and pay later. I will submit all my info and ID or everything you’ll ask for… I’m no scammer… I’m a victim of a scammer… So please help me 🙁

I am sorry to hear that Janice and sorry for the time waited for a reply.
A blacklisted iPhone can be unlockable with a proven Unlock services provider like iPhoneUnlock.Zone
For the ”iCloud Locked” part you need to read these Free iCloud Unlock Tips.
No matter what you do (and I wish you good luck) I can tell you this in order not to get scammed again:
Always do an IMEI Check for iPhone’s overall Lock status & hidden issues BEFORE you buy it & BEFORE you go for an unlock service!
This is the only way to do it right!
Tell me how it went. (this time I will answer you ASAP)

Hi Cierra, I’ve come across your inquiry regarding blacklisted iPhone 6s in the UltraSnow website.
I found out that your iPhone has been cleared and clean of blacklisting.
Would you be kind enough to share how you did you unblacklist your iPhone?
I bought an iPhone on eBay and it was working fine, but after a couple of weeks, it went blacklisted. C
Can you please share how you did your blacklist Staus cleaned?
Thank you very much in advance.

Hi there, can my iPhone 6s+ be unlocked?
It was working fine when I bought it but was blacklisted 3 weeks later.
Because it is on contract and the used iPhone seller is refusing to give my money back.
Do I have any iPhone Unlock options?

I bought an iPhone 5s online. I tried an icloud unlock as soon as I got it but I was told it’s on Apple’s icloud stolen list.
But the iPhone is also locked to sprint USA. Is there a way I can unlock it?

For the time being, there is not a service that can remove the iCloud Lock from a blacklisted device. In such cases, only the original owner or Apple can remove the iCloud Lock and the blacklist status of that iPhone. If you do not know how to contact the original owner, I suggest reading this iCloud Unlocking through Apple Guide.

Your iPhone can be unlocked, even if it is blacklisted. After the unlock, the blacklist status will not get removed. The best option for you, will be to contact the original owner and ask him to remove the blacklist status of that device.

I have a blocked/blacklisted iPhone 5s locked to T-Mobile USA. I tried many unlocking services online and all of them came back saying that they could not unlock my iPhone. The money also was refunded. I am currently in India. I won’t be going to the USA anytime soon. However, I want my iPhone to work in India with the local carriers. What do I do? I currently use the iPhone 5s to play games and listen to music. I spoke to T-Mobile tech support regarding this and they were like the phone needs to be in the USA to unlock. This is not going to happen. Is there a way that from here in India I can unlock my iPhone that is Blocked/blacklisted to the USA network? Also, it is running iOS 7.1.3 and it is jailbroken. What can I do now? Will you be able to help with this problem?

What do you mean that it needs the iPhone to be inside USA to get unlocked? Is this iPhone activated with T-Mobile USA Network? If it is activated then it can be also unlocked. Go to the following link and pick T-Mobile USA Network and “Yes, it is blacklisted”. You will see the Premium T-Mobile USA iPhone Unlock service, which can unlock your iPhone so you can use it inside India.

Hi, Paco and have a happy new year!
As far as I know blacklisted UK iPhones remain blacklisted after SIM Unlocking only inside the UK so, you will have no problem in using your iPhone inside Italy or any other place in the world (except the UK, of course)

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